US court: Judge can’t nix nuke deal to settle Iran charges

An American federal appeals court says a judge overstepped his authority in rejecting a deal to settle criminal charges against a Dutch aerospace company accused of illegally selling aircraft parts to Iran.

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled Tuesday that prosecutors were within their authority when they reached the settlement, and US District Judge Richard Leon shouldn’t have second-guessed the deal as too lenient.

The deal calls for Fokker Services BV to pay $21 million in penalties in exchange for the Justice Department’s decision not to prosecute the company for illegal exports that began in 2005 and ended in 2010.

Both the Justice Department and the company complained that Leon was improperly interfering with the discretion of prosecutors.

— AP